1. Why did Buddhism start declining in India in the early medieval times?

1. Buddha was by that time considered as one of the incarnations of Vishnu and thus became a part of Vaishnavism.

2. Invading tribes from Central Asia till the time of last Gupta king adopted Hinduism and persecuted Buddhists.

3. Kings of Gupta dynasty were strongly opposed to Buddhism.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

(a) Buddha was considered 9th incarnation of Vishnu. No tribe from Central Asia persecuted Buddhists. Gupta dynasty did not oppose Buddhism. However, they did not give them patronage.

2. With reference to Dhrupad, one of the major traditions of India that has been kept alive for centuries, which of the following statements are correct?

1. Dhrupad originated and developed in the Rajput kingdoms during the Mughal period.

2. Dhrupad is primarily a devotional and spiritual music.

3. Dhrupad Alap uses Sanskrit syllables from Mantras.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) None of the above is correct

(b) Dhrupad is primarily a spiritual and devotional music and it uses Sanskrit syllables from mantras.

3. With reference to the religious history of medieval India, the Sufi mystics were known to pursue which of the following practices?

1. Meditation and control of breath

2. Severe ascetic exercises in a lonely place

3. Recitation of holy songs to arouse a state of ecstasy in their audience

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

(d) All statements are correct, hence the option (d) is correct.

4. Consider the following Bhakti Saints:

1. Dadu Dayal

2. Guru Nanak

3. Tyagaraja

Who among the above was/were preaching when the Lodi dynasty fell and Babur took over?

(a) 1 and 3

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 1 and 2

(b) Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469. Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526. When Babur took over and established the Mughal dynasty, Nanak was travelling to different parts of India and preaching Sikhism. Babur once met Guru Nanak during one of his travel.

5. Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was

(a) the mosque for the use of Royal Family

(b) Akbar’s private prayer chamber

(c) the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions

(d) the room in which the nobles belonging to different religions gathered to discuss religious affairs

(c) Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions on every Thursday to debate on religious issues raised by Akbar.